In a nutshell
This study reviewed data on clinical trials investigating the effects of certolizumab pegol (Cimzia) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
They found that certolizumab pegol is an effective medication for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Some background
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes painful swelling and inflammation in the joints. Suppressing the body’s immune response can help treat RA. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a protein involved in inflammation. Medications that inhibit TNF-alpha are useful in RA treatment.
Certolizumab pegol (CZP) is a new TNF-alpha inhibitor. It is prescribed to patients who do not respond well to standard disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
Methods & findings
This study provides an update on the effectiveness of CZP in rheumatoid arthritis treatment.
This study included data from 14 clinical trials. In these studies, patients were receiving either CZP or other DMARDs. A number of parameters were included in the analysis, including joint swelling and pain, quality of life, clinical inflammation and radiological (x-ray) of affected joints.
Patients treated with CZP had a greater improvement in joint swelling and pain. CZP also improved quality of life and aided remission of RA (no sign of disease). Patients receiving CZP were more likely to withdraw from trials due to serious adverse events, including infections.
The bottom line
This review concluded that CZP is an effective medication for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
The fine print
There was a significant drop-out rate in patients taking CZP due to adverse events. The details of adverse events were not available for all trials.
What’s next?
If you have any concerns regarding anti-rheumatic medications, please discuss this with your physician.
Published By :
Cochrane database of systematic reviews
Date :
Sep 08, 2017
